It's not surprising that a former president thinks he ought to be able to talk about what he wants. And President Clinton wants to talk about the economy as much as the theme of the night, which is national security. The Obama campaign has asked Clinton to stick to his theme. This dispute played out a bit ago, but frustration lingers.
Another point of tension, sources say, is that the Obama campaign is aware that Mark Penn is advising Bill Clinton on the speech. Obama's campaign doesn't like Mark Penn. (Also writing: Don Baer, Clinton's former communications director. Obama's campaign is fine with Baer.)
On the Clinton side, there is some anger that the Obama campaign did not sufficiently communicate to Democrats about the (dismal) prospects of Hillary Clinton joining the ticket. One Clinton adviser: "On the vetting, please. They did not prepare the ground for it not to be her. The last 72 hours were poorly scripted."
Also: Cheryl Mills, Clinton's chief negotiator, is a passionate advocate for her client. But she's been getting along with David Plouffe as well as could be expected.
The Obama campaign is trying to beat back these reporters. They do not want to be distracted by the blow-up, and they do not want reporters to focus on fighting.
Update: the Clinton and Obama campaigns offered this joint statement:
"We understand that some in the news media are more interested in reporting the rumor of controversy than the fact of unity. The fact is that our teams are working closely to ensure a successful convention and will continue to do so. Senator and President Clinton fully support the Obama/Biden ticket and look forward to addressing the convention and the nation on the urgency of victory this Fall. Anyone saying anything else doesn't know what they're talking about. Period."
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